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For many years, we supported ourselves with donations, book sales, and a few grants. However, it is becoming increasingly difficult for us to fund our books. Without your support and donations, there would be no Jackpine Writers’ Bloc and no Talking Stick books. Remember, your tax donation is tax deductible. We are a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization.

April 17th 2005

We had a great meeting today at Beagle Books. We started out with only two of us. We were afraid that it was such a nice day that no one else wanted to sit inside at a meeting all afternoon. We ended up with 7 of us — two were new people. We had such a good time. It was one of those meetings where we could hardly stop talking at 4 PM when it came time for us to leave. It was one of those meetings where they had to shut the lights off on us and escort us out the door. Then we stood around and talked on the sidewalk for a while.

Next meeting will be on Sunday, May 22, 2005 from 1:30 to 4 PM at Beagle Books in Park Rapids.

HACKENSACK:

We discussed the annual Northwoods Arts Festival to be held in Hackensack on Saturday, August 27, 2005 form 10 AM to 4 PM. We have signed up for a table. We will need people to sell books and we will need people to read. Tarah and Sharon will put up their Lines and Light display again this year. There will be some new photos and poems added.

TALKING STICK 14:

Last year, we got submissions from 80 people. This year it started out slowly, but we do have 57 now. Some of our main members have yet to send theirs in, so we will probably end up with about as many as last year. Still two weeks to go till the May 1 deadline. Editorial Board will probably meet Sunday, May 15.

ANNUAL CELEBRATION:

Our annual writers’ celebration is scheduled for Saturday August 6th. It will be in Hubbard again at the Long Lake Theater. We are also renting the Hubbard Hall. We are planning on a poetry workshop with Mark Vinz. Mark is one of the three judges. We need to go see the Hall when we get a chance.

BOOK SALES:

We have had good luck selling books. Jerry sold some at Bloomington Art Center. We collected from Driftwood Books in Detroit Lakes.

MISCELLANEOUS:

Niomi attended the narrative poetry workshop in Bemidji yesterday. There were 12 people in attendance. She said the critiquing was very constructive.

New York Mills has an Art Exhibit coming up. We will get more details from them.

Images: 30 on 30, A Collaboration of Writers & Visual Artists, is coming up at the MacRostie Art Center, 405 NW

1st Ave in Grand Rapids, MN.30 artist submit works of art. 30 writers write about them. These are on exhibit April 4 – 30. Call 218-326-2697 for information. Jerry Mevissen is one of the writers selected for this.

PUBLICATIONS:

Jerry Mevissen and John Collins both had their submissions accepted by Fire Ring Voices anthology of male writing. Congratulations! Jerry’s story was “What Randall Is: and his art submission is “On Borrowed Time”. The 2005 Reading Reception will be held on Thursday, April 21 at 7 PM at the Beaux Arts Ballroom on the Bemidji State University campus.

WRITING EXERCISES:

If you are writing a poem, first write it as a poem, then rewrite it as prose, then write it again as a poem.

Try writing your poem idea in various poetic forms.

Almost everyone had brought some of their current writings to share. Not surprisingly, most of them were about spring.